The Manitowoc pilot. [volume] (Manitowoc, Wis.) 1859-1932, 1887-08-18
Indian Riders.

In letter from Chief Fridays camp
Gen. Brisbin writes: Here we saw
many curious scenes and learned much
of Indian life. One day Friday said to
me he would like to show off his young
men and let me see how well they
could ride. At first / expected some
treachery, as the whole herd of ponies
was still in the hands of the troops.
The OLD chief, however, was so earnest
and apparently honest about it told
the captain who had the herd in
charge, he might let Friday have fifty
ponies for his young men.
In about an hour they drew up be-
fore the tents in war paint and feath-
ers, and were as fine a set of young
fellows as | had ever seen. Hardly
one but was six feet IN height and
beautifully proportoned. They sat
their horses like centaurs and were
ease and grace itself in the saddle.
AT a signal from the chief they began
their movements with yell that sent
the blood curdling to the heart and
was enough, if heard unawares or in
the night time, to make ones hair
stand on end. In moment they had
disappeared over neighboring hill to
the right, and thought they had gone,
but, hearing a mighty trampling of
horses, looked to the left and there
they came. | can compare it to moth
ing but the wind, and they swept by so
swift and compact that they looked
like ball of horses and men. Split
ting in two, one body swept to the
right and another to the left and again
disappeared.
In about two minutes the two bodies
charged each other in solid lines, and
| waited almost breathlessly for the
shock, but as the horses heads almost
touched each other the files skilfullv
opened to the right and left and the
lines passed through the intervals
without touching. Wheeling to the
right about they passed back in an
instant and again disappeared over
the hills. 1t was about fifteen minutes
before they came in sight, and FRIDAY
informed me they We're blowing thei!
horses. Presently on they came and
wheeled by fours, formed columns,
broke by fours, and finally deployed
as skirmishers. 1t was now we saw
the finest individual horsemanship.
Some would approach lying so close
to the pony's back nothing but the
horse could be seen. Others stood up
and rode as the circus men do. Some
would hang with one foot and one
hand on the horses and sweep by, their
bodies completely protected by the
bodies of the animals Some ieaped
upon the ground holding to tie names
of the horses, and after runniuE a step
or two would swing themselves up on
the backs of the horses again us easily
as any circus man could do it.
The positions they assumed and the
feats OF horsemanship which they per
formed is incredible, ard | doubt if
anything outside of circus ring ever
equaled it. They would throw objects
on the ground and pick them up again
while passing at full speed, the war
rlors hanging to the sides of the horses
with one foot and one hand. They
drew bows and shot arrows from un-
derneath the necks and even bellies OF
the horses while riding at a fast gallop.
Our cavalry could not learn to ride as
well as these Indians did if each man
was trained for twenty years. They
exchanged horses while riding, and
got behind each other. One man
would fall off his horse as if wounded.
and two others would ride up beside
him, and, taking him by an arm and
leg, swing him between their horses
and carry him of.
The exhibition, or drill. as Frids ;
called it, lasted nearly two hours, and
the men and horses were completely
exhausted, | had never seen such
magnificent feats of horsemanship in
my life, and ] freely said so. At this
FRIDAY Was much pleased, and calling
up the young men repeated to them in
loud voice what had said and added
few words of his own, compliment
ing them. The young men were very
proud of the manner in which they had
acquitted themselves, and | could i'm
aglne the feelings of their parents and
sweethearts. The performers were
much worn out, some of them being
hardly able to stand after their violent
exercise, and all evening saw them
lying in the lodges, where the Indian
women brought them food and water,
bathed their hands, arms and limbs,
and combed their hair.
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